The 56th edition of the Cairo International Book Fair offers readers a wide range of fiction, non-fiction, and translations. Events focus on two of Egypt’s greatest literary figures of the 20th century, Taha Hussein and Abbas Mahmoud Al-Akkad, both born in 1889. Al-Karma Publishing House has republished Hussein’s three-volume autobiography, Al-Ayam (The Days), with new colourful covers. Recounting losing his sight at an early age as much as his experiences in Al-Azhar and the Sorbonne, the book is an engaging and powerful introduction to Hussein’s contribution as an advocate of critical thinking and modernity. Al-Tadween Al-Arabi for Publishing and Distribution took a similar initiative, republishing the Islamic Geniuses series by Abbas Mahmoud Al-Akkad. These biographies narrate the lives and works of seminal Islamic figures from the standpoint of a self-made, enlightened traditionalist. Both Hussein and Al-Akkad played a pivotal role in shaping the modern Arab views and their works continue to inspire generations of readers and thinkers.
Adel Esmat, Fi Nehayat Al-Zaman (At the End of Time), Al-Kotob Khan Publishing House, 2025, pp308
This novel is set in a quaint village, a silent witness to Egypt’s modern history, as seen through the diverse perspectives of the characters. Through it Adel Esmat skillfully chronicles the social and political shifts that shaped the nation over the decades. Caught between hopes and challenges, each character’s fate is intertwined with significant historical events, embodying a unique chapter of life that resonates with their joys and sorrows. Esmat’s style immerses readers in the intricacies of their daily experiences, revealing how dreams and reality are intricately interwoven. The novel explores themes of identity, belonging and self-discovery, highlighting the power of words as tools of change. At a time when the line blurs between reality and imagination, with authenticity and emotion it encourages us to reflect on what brings us together and what sets us apart.
Esmat was born near Tanta in 1959, and studied philosophy at Ain Shams University, graduating in 1984. He published his debut novel Hages Al-Mawt (Death Premonition) in 1995 following a collection of short stories, Qusasat (Fragments, 2015). He has since published numerous novels, winning the American University in Cairo (AUC) Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Tales of Yusuf Tadros in 2016. His books also include Al-Wasaya (The Commandments), which was shortlisted for the Arabic Booker in 2019 and received the Sawiris Cultural Award, and Ayam Al-Nawafez Al-Zarqaa (The Days of the Blue Windows), which won the State Incentive Award in 2011. Last year he published a collection of short stories, Ayam Adeya (Ordinary Days), with Al-Ain Publishing House, and a non-fiction book, Writing Stories and Building Nests: Reflections on the Art of Writing, also with Al-Kotob Khan.
Nora Nagy, Beit Al-Gaz (The Gas House), Al-Shorouk Publishing House, 2025, pp208
The lives of three women intertwine in a city full of secrets, with each carrying her own pain and sorrow: Radwa, the writer looking for salvation through her own words; Yomna, the doctor confronting harsh realities and decisions that leave indelible scars; and Marmar, the innocent child robbed of her childhood too soon. The crime of throwing a newborn out of a hospital window in Tanta casts a shadow over all three souls, revealing the fragility of life and the cruelty of fate. This is a polyphonic novel that captures the struggles of women facing pain and loss, and the sacrifices they are forced to make in a society that seeks to hide its shame. It is an emotional journey in search of meaning in a world filled with contradictions. The question remains whether a path can be found to salvation and healing.
Nora Nagy is an Egyptian author who was born in Tanta in 1987, and graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts in 2008. She is a journalist with Noon website and in Fonoun (Arts) magazine. She has published four novels besides this one: Pana (2014), Al-Jidar (The Wall, 2016), Banat Al-Basha (The Pasha’s Daughters, 2017), nominated for a Sawiris Award in 2018, and Attiaf Kamilia (Kamilia’s Shades, 2019).
Aya Nabih, Kharitet Al-Zaman (Maps of Time), Waziz Books, 2024, pp80
In her second book, poet Aya Nabih explores themes of time, place, dreams and home. In this slim volume, with a simple cover by Sahar Abdallah featuring a maze with a key in its inner circle attached to a house, she recounts dreams, ambitions and traumas with the same dedication. With a delicate awareness of the smallest things, for example, she shows how a small basil plant that transformed her temporary apartment in Doha, where she earned her masters degree away from her home in Cairo, from an apartment into a home. In her opening text, Nabih wonders why her childhood home is always present in her dreams with some details changing, like paintings on the wall or her room’s décor. Even after moving across two or three homes afterwards, that childhood home remains the only one present in her dreams, like a whole world with all the possible elements. Nabih flawlessly expresses her deepest emotions conveying her aspirations, fear and her reflections and challenges.
Aya Nabih studied English language and literature at the Faculty of Arts, Cairo University. She published Tamarein Li Tatweer Maharat Al-Araq (Exercises to Develop the Skills of Insomnia), her first book, with Al-Kotob Khan in 2016. That year she also translated Varieties of Disturbance by Lydia Davis.
Sherif Saleh, Majanin Umm Kulthoum (Madmen of Umm Kulthoum), The Egyptian-Lebanese Publishing House, 2025, pp270
With the 50th anniversary of the passing of Kawkab Al-Sharq (Star of the East) Umm Kulthoum on 3 February, this novel is being released in a timely manner with an alluring cover design that features the cassette tape of one of Umm Kulthoum’s best loved songs, Enta Omri (You Are My Life). The novel is made up of short chapters of nearly four pages each, with every chapter using one of Umm Kulthoum’s songs as its title: Amal Hayaty (Hope of My Life), Alf Leila wi Leila (1001 Nights), Raq Al-Habib (The Lover’s Heart Softens), etc. The novel attempts to use those songs as tropes through which to tell its story, showing how the music is part and parcel of Egyptian identity.
Sherif Saleh is a writer and journalist who studied at the Faculty of Dar Al-Uloom, Cairo University, later earning a degree in art criticism from the Academy of Arts. He has previously published six short story collections: Esbaa Yamshy Wahdo (A Finger Walking Alone); Mothallath Al-Eishq (Love Triangle); Shakhs Saleh Lel Qatl (A Person Fit for Murder); Beida Ala Al-Shatei (An Egg on the Beach); Shaq Al-Thooban (The Snake’s Split); and Daftar Al-Ahlam (Dream Notebook, 2016). He has received, among other honours, the Sharjah Award for Arab Creativity for his play Raqset Al-Deek (The Rooster’s Dance, 2010), and the Sawiris Award for Short Stories for “The Triangle of Love” in 2011, as well as the Dubai Cultural Award for “An Egg on the Beach” in 2011.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 30 January, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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